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Hardwired Audiobook
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(3.02) - 1,486 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In Walter Jon Williams' classic cyberpunk novel, the remnants of a war-ravaged America endure in scattered, heavily armed colonies, while the wealthy Orbital Corporations now control the world. Cowboy, an ex–fighter pilot who has become "hardwired" via skull sockets directly to his lethal electronic hardware, is now a panzerboy, a hi-tech smuggler riding armored hovertanks through the balkanized countryside. He teams up with Sarah, an equally cyborized gun-for-hire, to make a last stab at independence from the rapacious Orbitals. Together, they gather an unlikely gang of misfits for a ride that will take them to the edge of the atmosphere.
This action-packed adventure is a must-read for science fiction fans everywhere.
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"A fun read, a science fiction 'heavy metal' novel, set in a futuristic postwar america where the huge orbiting corporations rule, and man is literally 'hardwired' to his technology. The writing is fast-paced, the tone is dark and the story is gripping. It's apparently considered to be one of the three 'founding' cyberpunk novels, along with William Gibson's Neuromancer and Bruce Sterling's 'The Artificial Kid'. Definitely worth a read. If you like dark foreboding rollercoaster scifi novels that is."
— Nigel (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Hardwired is a tough, sleek juggernaut of a story, punctuated by strobe-light movements, coursing to the wail of jets and the twang of steel guitars—glittering, nasty, and noble—and told in a style perfectly suiting its content. It has all my favorite things—blood, love, fire, hate, and a high ideal or two. I wish I’d written this one.”
— Roger Zelazny, Hugo, Locus, and Nebula award–winning author -
“Williams’ use of language is as explosive and as techno-tinged as the world he describes. Reading the book is like taking a jet ride across a futuristic America, with acceleration forcing you back in your seat all the way.”
— Tom Von Malder -
“A tough, sleek juggernaut of a story, punctuated by strobe-light movements, coursing to the wail of jets and the twang of steel guitars.”
— Roger Zelazny -
“Heavy-metal adventure.”
— Publishers Weekly
Hardwired Listener Reviews
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" I always end up coming back to this book when I fall into a Gibson mood. "
— Sean, 2/8/2014 -
" This was fun to read. Cyberpunk at its best. "
— Mark, 2/7/2014 -
" This is a cutting edge novel with a fabulous ending and a hard core story "
— Jason, 2/2/2014 -
" Excellent Cyberpunkt, fast paced action, won't let you sit idle while reading. A definitive recommendation. "
— Torben, 1/23/2014 -
" Ignore the kind of dated cover. This is a great read, and an excellent introduction to cyberpunk. The only thing is the number of times the editor allowed "bob wire" to slip through uncorrected. Drove me bananas. "
— Jerimi, 1/20/2014 -
" Viva en el Ciudad del Dolor? You must read this book. "
— Grimgrin, 12/12/2013 -
" Hardcore cyberpunk about a smuggler and a bodyguard. Absolutely a crazy maniacal read and quite impressive. "
— Jesterjoker, 12/10/2013 -
" Having read only a few other cyberpunk novels before, I was happy to read another and broaden my horizons a little bit. While sometimes the book seems a little to prose happy I thought Williams did a great job with the characters and story line. "
— Paul, 12/2/2013 -
" My favorite cyberpunk book (I enjoyed it much more than Neuromancer). Even though some of the technology is a bit dated (lack of cell phones) I still find the story holds up well. "
— Kris, 11/20/2013 -
" one of the original works of the genre it set high standards "
— Simeonberesford, 11/30/2012 -
" Not a bad book, I guess. I just realized on page 180 that I didn't really like the genre, I found the preset tense narration annoying, and that I didn't want to finish the book. So I didn't. "
— Neil, 8/24/2012 -
" Really loved Williams take on Cyberpunk. Both slicker and grittier than Gibson, Stephenson, or The Matrix. "
— JTony, 5/27/2012 -
" I found this action fiction hard to put down. I really must read some more of this fellow's books. "
— Mardoufox, 1/21/2012 -
" I don't remember a lot about this book, but I do have a very vivid picture of the way Sarah assassinates the guy in the first few chapters. "
— Bryan457, 1/1/2012 -
" One of the great Cyberpunk novels. Less well known than Neuromancer and perhaps less bold, it is actually more enjoyable with a better narrative and more memorable characters. Would make a great movie. "
— Jeff, 9/14/2011 -
" I read this way back in high school and I remember it being less cyberpunk and more adventure tale with some cyberpunk elements to it. Still, it was fun and I don't regret picking it up. Again, good for when you have nothing better to read. "
— Sherman, 7/21/2011 -
" This had ALOT of potential, but the end was a bit underwhelming... "
— Otty, 3/18/2011 -
" A top notch cyber punk thriller with plenty of military SF added in. A great book. I highly recommend it. "
— Charles, 3/4/2011 -
" Amazing hard sci-fi novel. Hardwired's conspiracy theory based vision of a biologically enhanced, but freedom-less future is very compelling. "
— Gus, 3/3/2011 -
" My favorite cyberpunk book (I enjoyed it much more than Neuromancer). Even though some of the technology is a bit dated (lack of cell phones) I still find the story holds up well. "
— Kris, 2/26/2011 -
" This had ALOT of potential, but the end was a bit underwhelming... "
— Otty, 1/22/2011 -
" I don't remember a lot about this book, but I do have a very vivid picture of the way Sarah assassinates the guy in the first few chapters. "
— Bryan457, 12/20/2010 -
" A classic of early cyberpunk that I've long neglected. I've got this one and the sequel, Voice of the Whirlwind. Early cyberpunk was so much better... "
— Patrick, 11/29/2010 -
" Effing great cyberpunk - needs to be made into a movie. "
— Brett, 10/21/2010 -
" I found this action fiction hard to put down. I really must read some more of this fellow's books. "
— Mardoufox, 3/14/2010 -
" This is a cutting edge novel with a fabulous ending and a hard core story "
— Jason, 3/12/2010 -
" one of the original works of the genre it set high standards "
— Simeonberesford, 3/14/2009 -
" A top notch cyber punk thriller with plenty of military SF added in. A great book. I highly recommend it. "
— Charles, 9/21/2008
About Walter Jon Williams
Walter Jon Williams has been nominated for every major science fiction award, including Hugo and Nebula award nominations for his novel City on Fire. His books include The Sundering, The Praxis, Destiny’s Way, the Quillifer trilogy, and The Rift. He lives near Albuquerque, New Mexico, with his wife, Kathy Hedges.
About Stefan Rudnicki
Stefan Rudnicki first became involved with audiobooks in 1994. Now a Grammy-winning audiobook producer, he has worked on more than five thousand audiobooks as a narrator, writer, producer, or director. He has narrated more than nine hundred audiobooks. A recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards, he was presented the coveted Audie Award for solo narration in 2005, 2007, and 2014, and was named one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices in 2012.